Bruce Springsteen’s daughter hopes to become the boss of showjumping after winning a place in today’s final.
Jessica Springsteen, 29, the singer’s daughter with his wife Patti Scialfa, did not qualify for the individual final but has a chance at the podium in the team event as the US came fifth in the initial round.
She was the second of three riders for the team, losing four penalty points for knocking down a rail during her 80.67-second ride on Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. Sweden qualified in first place, and Great Britain took seventh.
Springsteen was introduced to horses by her mother when she was a toddler. She credits horses for helping her to overcome shyness as a child when the family moved from California to her father’s farm in New Jersey.
She is the highest placed woman, at 14th, in the world rankings published by the FEI, the sport’s governing body, but said that her success was not the result of pushy parenting. “They obviously love to see me do well but are just as happy when I don’t,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “They try to come as much as they can and Mum always watches online ... She is always the first one to send me a text when I have jumped a clear round. They have been so supportive and encouraging, without adding pressure.”
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She added that the delay to the Olympics had helped her to focus on the partnership with her 12-year-old stallion. “I am now really confident,” she said. “I’ve had him for about two years. He’s super brave. He’s so talented, does everything so easy ... Because he’s so reliable, that gives me a really good feeling for my first experience at a championship.”
Springsteen has a brother who works in the music industry and another who is a firefighter. She said her father had wanted them all to pursue their dreams. “Dad always reminds me that when you find a passion like this ... it’s really rare,” she said. “Both my parents encouraged me to push through the hard times because there are always going to be so many ups and downs.”
